Odyssey Of Night I : The Defiled Goddess
by Symphonist
Summary: A darker, edgier and more realistic tale set in the world of Percy Jackson, providing a glimpse of what a demigod's life would be like most probably if they existed in our world. The Olympians have become silent and the demigods have to fight monsters with no help from their godly parents. The demigods have been driven to near extinction in this bleak first story.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story. I await your reviews, positive and negative. Please tell me the parts that were good and the parts that have scope for improvement. Your praise will drive me to write more chapters, and your criticism will drive me to improve them**

* * *

><p><strong>GREY<strong>

"Hurry up, Grey! We don't have time!" Mom cried as Mr. Walter got into the driver's seat. The cool wind gently brushed past his jet black hair. In front of him, the pathway was covered with a carpet of fallen leaves. In a distance, Mr. Bramble's bulldog barked.

Grey looked at his house for one last time. It was a two-storeyed house, with white walls and a red brick roof. He looked at his tiny lawn, where he used play with Marco, his golden retriever, until Marco died last summer. A flock of birds sat on the roof, eyeing him.

The prospect of leaving would not have hurt him so much had it not been so sudden. One day he was firing away at terrorists alongside his best friend Dan on his Playstation 3 and the next, Mom simply walked into his room, wearing a green T-Shirt and jeans, and told him to pack a bag with food, water and whatever was necessary to him, and get in the car.

"_We're leaving, Grey."_

What was more, their creepy neighbor Mr. Ted Walter was coming along too. He had just moved in a month ago, and had been suspiciously close to Mom since Day 1. Grey despised him for this. Mom and Walter had been spending too much time together. He didn't want this tiny, bespectacled nerd with a goatee to take his Dad's place.

_Well, he might have been a tiny, bespectacled man with a goatee too, for all I know._ Dad had died before he was born, 15 years ago, in a car accident. There wasn't even a photo to give him an idea of what he looked like.

"Jump in, Grey!" Walter snapped him back to reality. "We'll get all your belongings later."

Reluctantly, he got into the car, and pretty soon, the house was just a dot in the horizon.

_I didn't even get to say goodbye to Dan and Harold and all the others. _Mom had no idea what was going through him. She didn't even clearly tell him why they were leaving. All she said was that they were going "someplace safer." At first he thought she was joking, but her eyes showed fear, fear not only for herself, but Grey himself.

Grey wondered what place could be safer than Alex Street, or how Alex Street could be dangerous in the first place.

"How far?" Mom asked Walter frantically.

"Just a couple more hours, Kate." Walter's voice suggested he had been to Someplace Safer many times. Grey wondered if Walter lived there. Which got him a tad bit disturbed.

_Seriously, Mom?! You're going to marry this nerd? _Grey wondered if his protest could stop this folly.

"Mom, where the hell are we going?" He finally asked, his voice demanding.

"I told you, Grey, we are going someplace safer. All will be clear to you once we get there." Her brow glistened with sweat. Grey had never seen Mom so scared.

_Who do we got behind our backs? Ninjas or robots or robot ninjas or something?_

Now they were surrounded by trees and rocks as they went down the snaking hill road. Grey only remembered going this way one time, when Mom had taken him on a picnic down the hill. The road was eerily silent today, with just the occasional car and bicycle. It were still the early hours of morning. The birds chirped, the trees rustled, and as he sat in the backseat, he couldn't help feeling drowsy.

He had almost drifted off when he heard a loud thud, as if a car had fallen from the heavens into the middle of the road, blocking their path to Someplace Safer.

"Oh, shit…" Walter whispered, his voice sounding as if he had just seen the monster from his nightmares.

Grey peered out the window, and what he saw convinced him that he himself must be in a nightmare. His jaw dropped open and his eyes widened as he saw a man, easily ten feet tall, with bulging biceps and broad shoulders, ice white hair in contrast to his sickly yellow skin, in the middle of the road. The man wore a simple white shirt and black trousers, but all the assumptions of him being just a normal man shattered when he opened his mouth.

The man had long, pointed teeth, like daggers jutting out of his mouth. He roared at the car, a cry half human-half animal.

"Wh… What the _fuck _is that thing?!" Grey shrieked, all vows to never curse in front of his Mom long forgotten.

Mom put a hand on his shoulder, but her sweat drenched face and clothes only got him more worried.

"Calm down, Grey. We will be out of this in a minute." Her voice implied she knew this was coming, disturbing him further.

"What now, Ted? Do something!" She shook his shoulder with her free hand.

The giant walked closer to the car and Grey got a sudden urge to jump out the car and run away, but somehow logic got the better of him and he remembered that the only way to go would be up the road, and the giant would catch him in seconds.

"Sit tight." Walter warned, as he stomped on the accelerator, rushing the car forward, _into _the giant.

"Are you _crazy?!_" Grey managed to utter as the car collided with the giant. The giant was not knocked away, instead, he stayed slammed into the front of the car as they fell out of the road, down the hill.

The car bumped several times with rocks and trees as it crashed down, the giant in front unable to do anything as he collided into trees himself, only uttering inhuman cries as he fell.

Grey's head hit the roof of the car hard and blood began to trickle down his forehead. Mom wrapped both her hands around him as he screamed, and Grey saw that she herself was bleeding.

_THUD._

The car had finally hit the road, miraculously in balance. The monster fell at a few metre's distance on the road. Cars and bicycles stopped as people began to inch closer to the wrecked up car to see what was going on.

"What was _that?!" _Grey demanded clutching his head. It was wet with both blood and sweat. His heart thumped fast and his stomach ached. He hadn't expected himself to survive.

"I think we should tell him, Ted." Mom said, black steely eyes set on him.

"You know we can't, Kate. Not now. When we get there, we will have plenty of time to explain it to him." Walter pleaded.

Grey realized, to his confusion, that several people had got around the car, inspecting it, asking "Are you okay?", "How did this happen?" among several other things, some even began to call an ambulance, but no one crowded the unconscious giant.

In fact, no one even gave it a glance, as if the giant was invisible.

"Run!" Grey uttered weakly at the people outside, though he was pretty certain they didn't hear him "Run, idiots, or that thing will get all of you!"

"It's no use, Grey." Walter whispered sadly. "Some demons we have to fight alone."

"Ted… that-that thing…" They both turned their attention to Mom. She was pointing outside, at the road.

"No… This _can't _be…" Grey muttered. The giant had woken up, and it was limping towards the car. His body was covered in red, and as he growled, Grey saw that even his teeth had been drenched in blood.

"This thing is strong, even for a Laistrygonian…" Walter said, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"Ted, now what? It's in the way again, and I doubt the car will work after all this…"

"I-I don't know, Kate… I've never seen one so strong… Grey's got to be a special one…"

_Special one? _This whole day seemed to be out of some horror novel to Grey. He desperately wished it was all a dream, and that he would wake up in his bed in an instant, Mom telling him he was getting late for school.

Mom turned her head to him. She looked into his eyes, her steely black exactly like his. Tears slowly began to trickle down her face, mixed with blood and sweat, making it look like she was crying tears of blood. He realized she was trying not to sob.

She wiped blood from his face, gently, as Walter kept his gaze on her with dread. And then, she drew a dagger from her purse. Grey was beyond shocked. His mother had always been a carefree person. He never imagined she'd keep a gun, or knife, or a weapon of any sort.

The dagger was long and slightly curved. It was not made of steel. Grey could not make out which metal it was made of. It glowed bluish white. There was an odd inscription on it, in a foreign language. The hilt was golden, with a picture of a bird with soaring wings carved into it.

"Kate, no… You are risking your life. Do you realize that you can't-"

"Ted, I had told myself long ago that if it came to either me or my son, I'd know exactly what to do."

Mom stepped out the car. It was _then _that he got over his initial shock and it struck to him what Mom was doing.

"No… _Mom, no!" _He shouted frantically. "Somebody _do _something!" He screamed at the people staring at his mom, looking at her as if she was crazy, doing absolutely nothing. A woman in the crowd began to take a video of Mom running towards the monster with the dagger, several people clicking away photos of the wrecked car.

"Face me, _coward!"_ Mom screamed at the giant, who cried shrilly in reply, now limping towards Mom, avoiding the car.

"Shit… You stay here, Grey…" Walter said in his low voice as he got out the car and ran towards Mom.

The giant swiped with his muscular arms at Mom. The blow connected and she flew and knocked into a tree. She clutched her head as she got up and rushed towards the monster once again with all her strength. Walter leapt into the monster and grabbed his head, but the monster simply grabbed him with his hands and threw him away, into the forest, leaving Grey and Mom alone against the abomination.

Grey got out the car, but his body didn't let him go and help his mother. He was paralyzed in fear. He felt ashamed that he was so scared that he'd watch his mother get slaughtered by a giant man rather than lend whatever help he can to protect her.

The giant rose his right hand in the air to pound it against Mom, but to Grey's surprise, she was so agile that she jumped into the monster and sunk the dagger into his chest. The giant staggered back in pain, howling. Mom yanked the dagger off his chest.

The giant fell on his knees, vomiting blood and clutching his chest. Mom inched closer for the final stab.

That was when Grey saw it. The giant stood up and rose again, right when Mom was in front of him. The vulnerable look had been a feint. He let out another inhuman cry as he thrust his fist at Mom.

The hand went all the way through her stomach.

Grey saw the look of mixed shock and pain in Mom's face as she fell on the road. Her T-Shirt was a dark red and blood seeped down the hole in her stomach as she stared at the sky. What hurt Grey the most was that she was still blinking, bloody tears streaming down her face as the giant roared in victory in front of her.

That was when Grey got over his paralysis. He ran towards Mom, not caring a second about the giant in front.

"Mom…?" He managed to utter in his choked voice as he held her in his arms.

She slowly turned her gaze from the sky towards him. Her eyes showed worry, sadness, and hopelessness. She opened her mouth to say something, but only blood spurted out. She was trying to say something, but it was useless, and the effort was hurting her.

That was when the monster growled, turning his gaze to Grey. Grey stared at the abomination in fear.

"No… _No… please… _let us go, _please…"_ He chanted like a mad man as tears streamed down his own cheek. He was sobbing, begging for their lives in between.

The giant regarded him with cold, bloodthirsty eyes. His face looked nothing like a human's now. He raised a hand in the air, to strike Grey. Grey simply held his mother's limp body and closed his eyes, burying his face in her, as he used to when he was a child.

And then, a dusty wind blew over his face. He kept his eyes closed, waiting for the blow, but nothing happened. Then he heard a voice.

"_Grey…"_

He carefully opened his eyes. To his surprise, the giant was nowhere in sight. Ted Walter towered over him, holding what looked like a sickle, made with the same metal Mom's dagger was made from. His whole face was drenched in blood.

"It's over, Grey… He's gone…"

Grey felt no relief. He sighed no sigh of comfort. All he did was stare blankly at his mother, who kept spurting blood, trying to tell him something, perhaps words of comfort, perhaps warnings about the future, perhaps encouraging him for something. She slowly tried to raise a hand. He understood what it was for.

He inched his face close to her hand and sobbed softly as she gently touched and caressed his cheek, slowly and delicately.

"_Mom… I'm-" _He uttered.

Before he could finish, her hand went limp, falling on the cold, hard road. Her eyes stared into his blankly and he stayed there, staring at them for minutes, until he decided to slowly put two fingers and shut them.

The crowd was still pointing and taking videos, as if it was some circus show. In the distance, he heard the ambulance siren, but it was already too late.

He held on to her limp body until Walter gently touched his shoulder.

"Grey… she was a brave woman. She died for a cause she was proud in," He tried. "Come on, now. We have to go. Or else more of those monsters will turn up."

Grey heard what he said, but didn't understand or process a word he said. He simply held his mother and remembered the times they had shared happily as a family. Until this morning.

"Grey… her sacrifice will be in vain if we don't move on. We have to get there by tonight. It will be safer there."

Slowly, he laid her on the road. He felt ashamed to not be able to provide her a better resting place. Delicately, he slipped the dagger from her hand to his, the blade mixed with his mother's as well as her killer's blood.

He looked at Walter, looking at him with pitying eyes, at a loss of words. Tentatively, he said, "You can talk to me. I can un-"

"_No." _Grey answered firmly.

And as the sun rose in the sky and the trees shed leaves, they walked on.

* * *

><p><strong>This ends the first chapter in the series. I aspire to make it bleaker, and as realistic as a fanfiction story on Percy Jackson And The Olympians can be. I would love to hear ideas which can make this tale better, as well as things I failed to do right with this tale. I would like to hear your reviews on this. <strong>

**Until next time...**


	2. Chapter 2

**It took a while but chapter 2 is finally complete. It is a comparatively passive chapter, but it provides crucuial details about the world and paints the scenery.**

* * *

><p><strong>ANDRIA<strong>

She woke up before George and Ray today. The hospital ward themed room annoyed her, as usual.

_What are we, patients or something?_

Whoever designed the Asclepius Cabin must have been playing a sick joke. The white walls, the tables full of medicine, the surgery equipment in the cupboards, the hospital beds. There was no room to personalize. Everything was so dull. But Andria was a cheerful girl, she wasn't going to be dragged down by all this.

In fact, she should be happy that they even made a Cabin for such a "minor god" like Asclepius. 20 years ago, she'd have to be placed in the Hermes Cabin, probably.

_20 years ago, Asclepius wouldn't even be having kids… _She suddenly remembered. Because of this, even today there were only three Asclepius children – George, Ray and Andria herself.

She set her straight, chocolate brown hair and set out on her usual morning jog. Being fit and healthy was wired into her brain, just like her snoring stepbrothers back in the Cabin.

As she jogged, she couldn't help marveling at the beauty of Camp Half Blood, despite it usually being a rather morbid place most of the time. The trees were shedding leaves for it was Autumn, nature spirits running around, chasing each other, without a worry. The Ares kids were on their marching exercise, led by Kent Tomwell, the Cabin leader. A Hecate child, his name was Gordon, she remembered, was staring blankly at the skies, learning whatever magic requires one to stare blankly at the skies.

She could hear hammering sounds from the Hephaestus Cabin, and suddenly a loud _boom. _

Coughing, two Hephaestus kids staggered out, their faces blackened. This was the reason Andria usually avoided the Hephaestus Cabin during her morning jogs. She hated the noise they made at even the very first hour of dawn, when she would have enjoyed some quite. To say nothing about the afternoons, when they all seemed at the prime of their spirits, which prompted her to go on field jobs just to stay away from the racket.

She was about to go into the forest when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey, _Andria!" _Sam Morton, son of Hebe, called out to her from the other end of the field. He raced towards her in an instant, not stopping a moment for breath. Sam was one of the most energetic demigods in Camp Half Blood.

"Who broke a leg _this _time, Sam?" She sighed.

"No, no, nothing like that!" He assured, in his rapid fire speech. "It's the Search Party! They're- they're back!"

Andria was suddenly filled with excitement. _The Search Party is back! _This might end all the problems. They'd finally be safe again.

Sam's face suddenly twisted into one of hurt and guilt. Then it struck her. _They're calling for me, the daughter of the healer god…_

All her excitement died down. She scolded herself for getting so hopeful. _This isn't some fairy tale, where the group of heroes go on a thrilling quest and return smiling with no change in themselves, apart from stronger bonds and life lessons… This is reality, where the monster wins._

"How bad?" She asked finally.

Sam's rapid fire voice slowed down. "Pretty bad, actually… Trevor lost an arm. Neo is unconscious. He… He might not…" His voice faltered.

"Don't worry. What am I here for?" She told him.

"I hope you can treat him. He's poisoned, apart from all the scars over his face and arms." Sam muttered. He was always a scared guy, despite having the ability to never get exhausted. He could probably face an army of Cyclopes and not break a sweat. Sadly, he was the only Hebe kid they had. Or at least, they knew about.

Andria finally braced herself for the impact. "Any casualties?" She asked.

Sam gulped. "Two."

_Out of the six in the Search Party, two get so wounded that they can probably never fight, and two don't even make it. _As much human psychology as Andria knew, the other two who came back with no serious injuries would definitely be going through survivor's guilt, meaning all six of the powerful demigods were pretty much over their fighting days now.

"Who are the two?" She asked, after taking a long breath.

"Leon Drake…" He said softly.

Andria pictured Leon, the captain of the Search Party's long ship. _"No storm is strong enough to blow me away!" _The son of Kymopoleia had boasted. _"Except for one or two I know personally." _He had added, giving a sly smile to one of the Aphrodite girls, who had blushed. He was one shameless demigod, but brave nonetheless.

Andria realized that she was actually going to miss Leon and his sick sense of humour.

"And…?"

Sam looked uncomfortable.

"Who else died, Sam?" She demanded.

Sam looked down on the floor. His expression began to make her dread. _Not her, not her…_

"I'm sorry, Andria…"

And she knew.

"It's okay." She said quickly, averting her gaze. Her eyes stung. She began to dread waking up. She wished she was still sleeping soundly, without a worry, like George and Ray.

Sandy was dead. Sandy James, daughter of Apollo and her best friend. She was over three years older than Andria, a girl of 18, always smiling and laughing. It was Sandy who had lifted Andria's spirits and taught her to stay cheerful even in this macabrous atmosphere. Sandy had taught her how to tend to wounds, heal even the most fatal of them, and most of all, she had taught Andria how to heal patients mentally. For even if a demigod returned from a quest unscathed, the journey itself has a great impact on his mind, and sometimes they even lose their sanity.

Sandy had taught Andria how to stay mentally strong herself. Andria looked up to her as an older sister. She imagined Sandy giggling in the face of death, taunting it for being so quick and painless.

She looked up at the blue skies. _Is this what you all wanted?!, _she felt like shouting. _We are getting slaughtered mercilessly by advancing monsters while you all are keeping mum, watching our blood spilled. Do you enjoy seeing us suffer?_

"Umm… I know you probably aren't well right now, but…"

She was snapped back to reality. She had a job to do. They couldn't afford to lose the surviving four. And as the 15 year old doctor of the Camp, it was her duty to save them. People kept dying. If they stopped everything to mourn for one dead demigod, several others would die. She had to be strong.

"Where are they?" She asked, determinant.

Sam looked surprised, but didn't say anything. "Come, follow me."

As they ran through the forest to the clinic, Andria doing her best to keep up with Sam, she forced her mind into the task at hand. Friends had died before, fuck, even Andria herself had almost died in a hellhound attack the first day she came to Camp, but she realized to her dismay that it was always Sandy who had helped her get over it. Today she realized how dependent she had been on her best friend.

And now she had to get over a mental distress herself.

She scratched the scars on her right arm, an uncontrollable habit. She had almost had her arm ripped off by one of the hellhounds that day, but Travis Middleton, one of the Cybele children had jumped in and sliced its head off with his Celestial bronze sword.

"Here we are." She said, climbing the clinic steps. The first year at Camp Half Blood, she dreaded this place. She would always be called here to help the other healers tend to the injuries of the weakened. She would often throw up when she 'd see the wounds, the blood covered sheets, the tissue fragments, the protruding bones… The other reason was how everyone assumed she's an expert doctor just because she's a daughter of Asclepius. The way they calmed, the way they sighed with relief when they'd be told she's the daughter of the god of healers… She dreaded she'd do something wrong, maybe even kill a demigod who'd only come to heal a minor injury.

But Sandy and the other Apollo kids had taught her with patience and guidance. They had taught her which medicines to give, which operations to conduct, which surgeries were needed…

The funny thing was, nobody was even sure if she was a daughter of Asclepius or not. They had just come to the conclusion when they saw her vast knowledge of medicine. Even then, they had assumed that she was a daughter of Apollo. But her poor archery skills and terrible tries at poetry had drawn them to the ultimate conclusion that she was Camp Half Blood's first Asclepius child, which was odd since Asclepius was an imprisoned god, meaning he was somehow free to flirt with women like Andria's mom now.

But the gods were acting strange these days. Most of them like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hecate, Ares or any of the 12 Olympians had completely broken contact. Even the few that did keep contact acted shadily, as if hiding something. They weren't even acting the way they used to, according to some of the older demigods. According to them, Camp Half Blood itself was actually directed by a god called Dionysus, the god of wine or something. But like the other gods, Dionysus too had disappeared inexplicably, which prompted Ethan Connors, one of the older demigods at Camp, to become the new Camp Director.

There. She once again got lost in thought. Typical of her…

As she entered the building, she saw that George was already mending to Trevor's stump. It looked horrible, and Trevor himself was writhing in pain as George applied medicine to the stump. George still had bed hair and was still in his pyjamas. He had a grumpy, sleepy look on his face. Andria envied how he didn't let emotion get in the way of his work. He worked without seeing the patient as a human, all he saw was the wound and how to treat it. This might sound inhuman, but Andria knew this was a quality which every doctor must have in order to save lives.

Just a year older than Andria, George was much more mature and passionate about healing. Perhaps because his mother was a real doctor.

She had already wasted too much time. She sat down on a chair next to Neo's bed, who was still in a coma. She checked his breathing. Normal. Heart beat. Just about fine. So at least they wouldn't need a ventilator.

"Hey, sis." She turned to see Ray behind her. Always the cool and calm one, he never seemed to panic even at the sight of a dismembered head. But today he had a frown, which didn't suit his face at all.

"Hey…" She said, keeping her gaze at Neo's scars.

"About Sandy…"

She sighed. She knew Ray meant well, but this was not the time. Neo was dying. Besides, talking might be helpful, but not now. It would only overwhelm her with emotions.

"Ray… I'm fine, trust me." She finally managed, turning to the table, pretending to be looking for a medicine jar, so that he didn't see her tears.

"Well, that's cool, 'cause I ain't." He answered, surprising her.

She looked at him. He was grinning but she saw faint lines of tears on his cheeks. Ray was 14, just a year younger than Andria. Sometimes, she forgot how young he was. _Well, I'm not any mature adult either…_

She allowed herself a smile. "Then perhaps we'll talk. But later. Go check up on Tracey and the other one now."

"Ashley. Ashley Parker." He corrected. "Broken leg and skull."

"Yeah. Go check up on her."

The youngest of the three Asclepius kids, Ray had only arrived to Camp last year. He was still in the process of learning about the Demigod world. Andria tried to help him cope as much as she could, because she herself remembered how she was the first time she came to Camp.

She was about to go consult with George which antidote would be suitable for Neo when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in. But don't disturb the patient." She answered habitually.

The door opened and she saw the Camp Director Ethan Connors walk into the room. He wore a blue leather jacket over his orange Camp Half Blood T-Shirt. His blonde hair were set in the eternal spikes a usual, which some kids joked to be secret antennae through which he was transmitted all the knowledge he had. He had his usual grin, which somewhat disturbed Andria, considering the tragedic events of the morning.

"So how's the wind dude? I hope the stink in this room isn't because of him." He quipped, pointing at Neo.

Andria was puzzled for a moment. Then she remembered that Neo was the son of one of the wind gods. Aeolus, if she remembered correctly.

"How do you stay so chilled despite all this?" She asked.

"Well, I'm the only one with brains here. If I panic, Camp Half Blood will pretty soon turn into Camp Full Of Blood."

Andria would have laughed if she hadn't been so stressed. She wondered if she should ask the Camp Director the question that had been dreading her since the moment she learnt the Search Party was back.

Ethan walked over to Neo. "What did he get poisoned with?"

"Uh… We don't know, sir. You see, all four of them are injured. Though I think Trevor might be strong enough to tell us what happened in a few days."

Ethan laughed. "Some telekhine might have done all of them, for all we know."

The Camp director was a weird guy. He always made Andria nervous. But he was one of the oldest demigods they had. Back when he had joined, gods still answered prayers, talked to their demigod offsprings when they needed them, helped their children in combat, gave them boons… Fuck, according to Ethan, back in his day, gods would "claim" their demigod children, which was something like declaring to everyone that the demigod was their kid. Ethan said they did this by making floating symbols appear on their heads, like a thunderbolt for Zeus, or a trident for Poseidon, or a heart for Aphrodite… but this was way too much. Andria was pretty sure Ethan was messing with them when he said that. _Seriously, floating symbols on our heads?_

But it must have been nice… No confusion, just join the Cabin which the symbol on your head corresponded to, and show off your talents. In the Camp Half Blood Andria knew, demigods had to try out everything to figure out who their godly parents were. In some minuscule cases, their mothers or fathers knew who the godly parent really was, but no such luck in Andria's case. She had to spend her entire first year at Camp figuring out who her godly parent was. She hated Asclepius for this.

"I'm sorry to ask, sir…"

"What is this "sir" nonsense? I'm more used to being addressed as "asshole" and "jerk"." He snapped.

She shrugged. "Okay… I'll go with Ethan. Ethan, I hope you don't mind my asking, but what will we do now?" She oddly felt lighter after finally asking it.

He scratched his chin. "Hmmm…. Our most badass guys are on stretchers. Camp morale is low. And we still don't know shit about what happened to my mom and the other gods. This kinda _is _worst case scenario. Do you know what that means, Andria Sophia?" His question startled her.

"I… don't know, s-Ethan."

He laughed again. "Sethan! I like that! You sure got a sense of humour, Sophia!" His laughter must have been audible from here all the way to the Eos Cabin in the far end. A pained expression formed on Neo's face.

Normally, Andria would have ordered one of the assistant doctors to escort out any person who caused discomfort to the patients, but this was the Camp Director. So she took a different approach.

"Shh…" she put a finger over her lips. "He's fighting death over here, Ethan."

Ethan wiped a tear over his eyes. "Sorry." Though he was still grinning.

"What I meant was, things will turn out better next time. We'll build a new Search Party. I think I've got what we did wrong with this one. Also, we'll use whatever intel they got for us and use it to our advantage."

With that, the Camp Director began walking out.

"I guess I should be going now. I just wanted to check up on my mates."

This seemed odd to Andria. If she had been the Camp Director, she'd have spent the whole day with these injured people, people who had become what they were today because of _her _ill decision, and mourned their deaths and injuries. _Wait, so does this mean that, in a way, Ethan is responsible for what happened to Sandy?!_

She scolded herself for the thought. Ethan Connors may be a bit unemotional, but he was the Camp Director after all. It was he who had tried to keep the Camp together after the gods abandoned the demigods. Camp Half Blood had almost disbanded before he stepped in. It didn't matter what kind of person he was, he had maintained this safe haven for demigods. _But how long? Each day monsters seem to close in on the Camp… _She remembered Gerald Witman, one of the Ares kids, who had inexplicably disappeared a few days ago.

"Oh, another thing." Ethan said, before leaving.

"I got news from Duke and Ted and a few other satyrs. Just thought I'd tell everyone, our little family is going to get a bit bigger now." He smiled.

_More demigods? _Very few managed to make the journey these days. Even the total number of escort satyrs had gone down. Now only five or six new faces joined each year.

"How many?" She asked.

"Five, according to Ted." With that, Ethan Connors left, leaving her alone with Neo and her thoughts.

Five _new demigods… _she thought. She wondered what kind of people they'd be. They were in serious need of someone who could come up with strategies. Since Ethan was the only son of Athena they had currently, everyone followed his plans wordlessly. Someone to criticize him, or help him come up with strategies would be useful. There would be a balance.

But the news also filled her with sadness and pity.

_These kids will come to Camp Half Blood full of hope, thinking they're finally safe, just the way me and everyone else did. They have no idea what they are stepping into. _

Next to her, Neo let out a cry of agony while she heard a loud scream from Ashley as Ray amputated her leg.


	3. Chapter 3

**This one took a long time to write. This is the final introductory chapter. The plot sets in motion in the next chapter. I still await reviews, both positive and negative.**

* * *

><p><strong>ETHAN<strong>

He was woken up at around afternoon by one of the Eos kids.

"Director, Sylvia is calling for you…." The daughter of the goddess of dawn had said, flustered.

He was woken up by a start by it. He ran a hand through his sweat covered hair. _Sylvia? Calling? What the…. Oh yeah, the meeting._

He stretched, and it was only then that he noticed Chloe Rezner, one of the Aphrodite daughters, lying in bed next to him, fully naked. He was only now reminded of the early morning fling. He smiled.

The Eos girl was looking sideways for the sake of etiquettes. Her cheeks were a bright shade of red. It was only now that he noticed that she was just 13. _Heh, this is probably her first time talking privately to the Camp Director. Now _that's _what I call a memorable first impression._

"Umm…" she began nervously. "May I go, sir?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure. You can go. Tell Sylvia I'll be there in a moment."

The girl quickly walked out. Alone again, other than the hot chick sleeping next to him, he got out from bed and pulled the Camp Half Blood T-Shirt over him. In another swift motion, he got into his black jeans. And then he began to hunt for his blue jacket from the floor.

But he made the mistake of looking at Chloe again. Those long, golden hair… those smooth legs… her curvaceous shape… Aphrodite kids are undoubtedly the best. Their looks alter depending on what you prefer in the opposite gender. This way, each and every Aphrodite daughter you bone would be exactly the girl of your dreams.

Though several found this disturbing, for it meant that nobody really knows what an Aphrodite kid _really _looks like. He wondered if Chloe could actually be a normal looking girl, or perhaps even ugly. _No way, the real face gotta be beautiful. After all, the real face must have part of the human parent's beauty too. Ugly guys don't get lucky with Aphrodite._

He had a bet with Tracey Rivers and Neo Gleeson on what Chloe's actual hair colour would be. Ethan had said blonde, Tracey redhead and Neo brunette. Well, Neo wasn't going to be up anytime soon, even if the poor guy does survive. And Tracey, Ethan will just say that he fucked Chloe(Truth) and that she admitted she's a blonde(Lie, she's a brunette).

"_How do you stay so chilled despite all this?"_

The words of Andria Sophia, another hottie at Camp(Though too young for the time being.), secondly the Camp Doctor too, rang in his ears, causing him to wince. He was surprised to still feel a pang of guilt. He thought he had finally gotten over destructive emotions like these. The time for emotions was long gone.

As he walked out of the Athena Cabin, walking towards the meeting room, the sun shining strongly on his face, he remembered the times when he was a normal demigod, back when, despite being afraid of his true identity as a demigod and learning about his duty to kill monsters, assist gods and go on dangerous quests, he felt safe knowing that a mighty, all powerful goddess of wisdom was looking after him, for said mighty, all powerful goddess of wisdom was his mom. He remembered his first two years at Camp, training under Chiron, the great teacher of Hercules himself, and leaving the important decisions to Dionysus, the true Camp Director.

And then, slowly, they all disappeared. Ethan remembered clearly how it happened. One day Dionysus is grumbling about some Hermes kid filling the water tank with Pepsi, and the next morning, poof. Just like that. Ethan had wondered if the gods were weak to Pepsi or something. Chiron had said that he was just as confused, and decided to send him an Iris message. And that was when they learned that Iris messages are no longer possible. As if Iris herself had run off with Dionysus too. Some of the older kids decided to go on a quest to the Empire State Building to find out what was wrong, but Ethan was pretty sure the dickheads just wanted an excuse to get out for a while. _We had no fucking idea back then. We thought it's just a matter of a couple of days. So far, I still haven't seen the end of these fucking "couple of days"._

And then Chiron himself decided to go to Olympus to figure out what was wrong. He too had said he'd be back in a couple of days. Ethan had already sensed how it was going to end up.

He walked into the meeting room. Kent Tomwell, the Ares Cabin head, sat on a chair, intently analyzing a map of the outer borders of Camp.

"Finally." Sylvia Rogers, head of the Dionysus Cabin, and his oldest friend, stood up from across the room.

"Where _were _you?!"

Ethan scratched his head. "Eh… practicing my swordsmanship with one of the other kids. I've gotten much better. My stamina has increased significantly too."

She regarded him coldly, and then turned to Kent. "Anyway, Kent says our defenses are getting weaker by the day. We need more guards on the south." She said, pointing to one end of the map.

"We can't do that." Kent replied, sweating. He was an okay strategist(no one could be better than Ethan) but whenever he had to do plan making and organizing, you could see on his face that he was straining himself. "We already have barely enough to guard the other directions. Take away even one guy and put him in the southern defense, and the team he previously belonged to will be in threat."

Sylvia flared. "So how was the southern team managing it before?"

"Gerald Witman. One of mine. Excellent swordsman. He disappeared a few days ago. Probably killed in an ambush." Kent sighed.

She turned to Ethan, twirling a strand of her wavy brown hair, a sign which meant that she was at her limit. "Our numbers are going down rapidly, Ethan. The number of demigods that joined last year was only half the number that died. How long will this go on?"

"Hey, we'll come up with something, okay guys? I've been thinking for a long time about doing away with satyr escorts. These guys hardly have the skills. We should be sending skilled demigods. It would be better for both the kids and the satyrs."

Sylvia massaged her forehead. Being the head of activities, Chiron's old post, was a tiresome job. Fuck, Ethan used to be just as stressed when he took Dionysus' place. And though they had both assumed the posts at the same time, Ethan had learned after a year or so that worrying like that was useless. He had trained himself to remain calm and cool under every condition. He had learned to get rid of things like guilt, anger, panic or worry. For it was a wise thing to do, and who was wiser here than Ethan, son of the goddess of fucking wisdom?

Sylvia sighed. "Ethan, I don't think it's a wise thing to do. The nature spirits already abandoned Camp when the gods severed all contacts with us." She let out a distressed chuckle. "Remember those times when we actually slept at night and the harpies defended the Camp?"

All three of them were nineteen, one of the oldest demigods. There were roughly five that were still in Camp that had seen the old, peaceful days. When all hell broke loose, many decided to move out of Camp, choosing to fend for themselves, arguing that Camp Half Blood used to be safe only because the gods had shrines here and could be called any time. With the gods gone, Long Island was just as dangerous as any place on Earth. But Ethan, Sylvia, Kent and a handful others had decided to stick together, and keep the Camp the way it was – a safe haven for demigods where they can train and gain knowledge, so that when they _do _go to the outside world, they don't get ripped to shreds by the first harpy they see.

"She's got a point." Kent said. "We should be lucky that the satyrs are still with us. They are a proud bunch. If we tell them that we don't need their help in escorting demigods, they might get so wounded that they'd never help us again. We should keep close the few allies we have left."

"Besides," Sylvia chimed in," we are already low on demigods. Camp demigods escorting the kids would probably increase the number of those who make it to Camp safely, but by doing this we are also endangering the lives of the escorts, who'd be already trained demigods. We'd be losing one powerful one for two novices."

Ethan scratched his chin, a habitual gesture. "I can see your point… But I think I can explain it to the satyrs, they won't be a problem. As for the part about risking demigod lives, well, eventually they have to get out. We can't spend all our lives holed up here. Soon there will be a point where we'll have to face the outside world. We could send the older ones, nineteen or twenty year olds who'd be going to move out anyway in a few years. It would be a good practice for them too. Nothing can be a better training for them than this. Fuck, I could go myself too."

Sylvia sat on a chair, silent for a moment. _I've convinced her. _He allowed himself a faint smile.

"Maybe we can give it a go. Try sending a few and see how it turns out." She said finally.

Ethan clapped his hands once. "Are we all in agreement here?"

Kent looked uncertain. "Umm… How about-"

"Excuse me, sirs and ma'am." They all turned to the door, where a dark skinned boy, probably fifteen or sixteen years old, stood wearing a leather armor, a Celestial bronze sword dangling by his waist. Ethan tried hard, but could not remember him. He had definitely seen this boy before. His name was Peter or Percy or something.

"Paul. One of mine." Kent answered. He had probably seen the confusion on their faces.

"Oh, yeah. I remember now." Sylvia replied. "How's the knee?"

"Oh, much better, ma'am." Paul answered, his face revealing nothing. Ethan saw that he had a slight limp.

"What do you need, Paul?" Ethan questioned.

"Sir, the new demigods are here. The satyrs have seated them in the assembly ground." The boy answered. "The satyrs were hoping you would come to greet the demigods and explain them a thing or two."

"Oh. Yeah." Ethan couldn't believe he forgot. He was intrigued by the news that this time _five _new demigods had made it to Camp at once. Though, he was actually more interested to talk to the satyrs and learn how they managed it this time. He might learn some new strategies.

Sylvia and Kent got up. "Do you have that speech ready?" She asked him.

_Fuck. _Ethan had forgotten. But he didn't mind. He'd just say whatever he thinks is best. An inspirational speech about the horrors ahead would only be nerve wracking to a group of kids just healing from the horrors before.

Kent Tomwell got up. "I think today's meeting is over now. If you don't mind, I better return to my duties." With that, the huge guy walked out, calling out to Paul," Follow me, Jefferson. You still don't know how to hold a shield." The silent soldier wordlessly followed.

"Are you coming?" Ethan asked Sylvia as he walked towards the door.

If she heard him, then she had ignored him. She was marking something on the map with a black pen when he left her. _Damn, why can't she be like the other girls and relax every once in a while? I'd do a pretty good job. _He said, grinning to himself. She may be his best friend, but that didn't save her from him either. Long back, Ethan used to wonder if he was actually an Aphrodite kid or something. But everyone agreed he was a blonde, which meant either everyone at Camp likes blonde guys or he just isn't an Aphrodite kid. And then he got claimed. He was one of the last few who actually got claimed.

As he reached the clearing, he saw five kids , between ages thirteen to fifteen, sitting on the grass, each with a backpack by their side. Two or three of them were eating from their lunch boxes, offering food to each other, laughing. They almost looked like normal kids on a picnic, though there were visible bruises, scars and bandages on most of them. At first he found it odd to see some of them laughing, but then he realized they were happy to be alive.

He walked in front of them, up to the assembly dais, a small wooden platform, three feet tall. He saw that behind the kids, in the corners, were the satyrs resting up under the trees. _The real heroes._

There were five of the satyrs, each men of age thirty to forty. He nodded at one of them, Roy. Roy nodded back, an exhausted look. The kids were now staring at them. He looked at each of them, trying to figure out what kind of persons they were, how they could help the Camp, which one would be a significant addition, which one an expendable grunt.

First from the left was a little girl, thirteen years of age. She had properly combed black hair, and a simple white headband over her head. She had a small bruise on her forehead. She was the most cheerful of the bunch. She wore a pink sweater and light blue jeans. If he had to guess, Ethan would say _Aphrodite._ But he'd have to ask around some thirteen year old boys her hair colour.

The second, another girl. She had auburn hair, and wore a red hoodie with black trackpants. She seemed to be about fifteen years. Ethan saw a book in her hand. He couldn't make out the title. The girl's blue eyes stared into his, as if studying him. Suddenly, she revealed a faint smile, as if she'd just figured out a secret about him. _Did you finally send me a sister, mom? _He thought, then realized that he sounded like a five year old on Christmas.

The third, a boy of age fifteen. He strained to look at him with his tiny grey eyes from his square glasses. He had fiery red hair. He wore a long sleeved shirt but no jacket or sweater. He was a scrawny boy. Ethan wondered how he didn't feel cold. The boy was tapping his fingers and shaking slowly, brimming with energy. Ethan was definite this one was _Hebe's._

The fourth boy, another fifteen year old. He wore a black T-Shirt and jeans ripped slightly from a few places, and Ethan somehow knew it wasn't for fashion. He had slightly long black hair and pale skin. His green army back rested by his side. As Ethan gazed at his face, he saw a scar on his forehead. Only then he noticed the boy's dead black eyes. They stared into his hauntingly, accusingly. They were pitch black pools. Ethan could only describe the unsettling boy as _Hecate._

The fifth boy was large and round, with chubby cheeks and blonde hair. He looked like an unfit, sixteen year old version of Ethan. Ethan had a hard time imagining him fighting for the Camp. The boy's eyes showed fierceness and confidence, but sadly it would go to waste with a body like that. Then Ethan saw the large scar running from his hands into the confines of his red T-Shirt. The boy did not seem hurt by it, though it was undoubtedly fresh. Maybe he had some medication or something because of which he wasn't hurt, or if he had naturally strong endurance. Ethan could only come up with one uncertain word to describe him : _Apollo._

As he was about start, a group of Camp demigods came to watch the newcomers. He saw Andria Sophia from the Asclepius Cabin, probably out for a break. Her straight brown hair glistened with sweat. Next to her was her step brother Ray… Ethan didn't remember the kid's full name. The boy was pretty shaken up. Ethan remembered he had been the one who amputated Ashley Parker's infected right leg. _Whoa, what is he, thirteen? _Probably not a good time, but he'd ask the kid the hair colour of the little girl.

Next to them was a group of Ares kids, the biggest Cabin they had after Hermes, led by Tyler Domino. A strong yet merciless boy, he was always surrounded by other of his big muscled brothers. Tyler and his brother Gerald were one of the biggest bullies in Camp(How they still felt like bullying others when the Camp was going through such a crisis, he didn't know.). They had been summoned by Sylvia for punishments several times. But the duo was no more now, with Gerald Witman missing since days. But Ethan noticed that they had a new addition to their gang now. _What was his name again, Paul Jackson or something?_

Ethan had said he didn't want others to come while he explained things to the newbies, but maybe these guys didn't hear. _Whatever, I'll just begin anyway._

Clearing his throat, he began. "Today, all five of you have made it here after the long journey full of fighting and surviving, and I'm equally surprised and amazed at your skills. In this journey, you must have encountered monsters, spirits and all sorts of creatures you believed were children's tales. But nevertheless, you made it. You all are here. And you have seen the truth about the world and your identity."

He gazed from left to right at the children. "I believe the satyrs have told you some things about who you are."

The bespectacled boy raised his hand. "We are Greek Demigods!" He shouted, before Ethan could even tell him to answer.

"Exactly." The boy looked proud, as if it was some classroom quiz. "We assumed they were myths. But the Greek mythological world is _very _real. There are gods, monsters and spirits about, like your satyr escorts."

The satyrs weren't wearing their pants, so Ethan had figured out they had revealed their identity to the kids.

"And this, is Camp Half Blood. A place where we'll train you in the arts of swordsmanship, archery, knowledge, or whatever other weapon you need to survive against the monsters. Your parents wanted this, both human and godly. At Camp Half Blood, all of us demigods work together to defeat the monsters and find our godly parents."

The auburn haired girl raised her hand. "Yes?" Ethan asked

"What happened to our godly parents? Roy told me they have disappeared or something…" She said, looking at her satyr escort.

"You see…?"

"Myra."

"You see, Myra, even we do not know. They simply disappeared one day, causing all the problems the Camp is having. But do not worry, together we'll find a solution. But the lack of godly assistance means we must stick together, no matter what. I won't lie to you, there are dangerous times ahead." He said it as calmly as possible.

"I … see…" She said, disappointed. _What did you think? I'd know everything? Even my fucking mom is missing. _

"But remember, comrades, we have to work for the greater good. We have to fight to protect the Camp and maintain it as a safe haven for demigods. In this noble cause, many of us will have our blood spilled. But this _must _not stop us from fighting. For now you all are not fighting for yourself, you are fighting for Camp Half Blood."

Ethan heard slow clapping. One of the kids rose, and he thought he'd get a standing ovation, but he forgot that he was Ethan Connors.

"Excellently put, bastard." The boy with the army bag said. "But it won't work on me. You might as well have clearly said "Welcome to Camp, slaves. Now go fight monsters to the death while I go have a nap." But I'm not going to fall for it, _asshole." _He said the word coldly and with contempt, and everyone present heard it and gasped.

Tyler's gang suppressed a giggle.

Ethan was used to verbal hits, but he was surprised nonetheless. Who was this dick anyway?

"Excuse me, what did you say?" He asked, trying to keep up with the polite get up.

"You brought us here saying we'd finally be safe here, that we'd be able to live normally. But this was just a ruse. You may talk about hours on how we'd fight heroically and nobly and battle for the "greater good", but in the end, you just want more soldiers to keep _yourself _safe, Ethan Connors. My life was already destroyed a couple of days ago when I learnt I was a demigod. Now I don't want manipulative bastards like you to make me a pawn in this game I didn't even want to be a part of!"

Ethan took a deep breath. He tried to control himself, keep the polite image. And failed.

"Hey, asshole," he snapped back, causing the new kids to gasp. "It's not my fault that your mom or dad didn't use a condom, because seriously, a demigod like you is just a pain in the ass. I'll make you the laundry guy, if you act nicely."

The boy began to charge at Ethan, but the scrawny boy and the fat boy held him in place. He could see Tyler's smile. The bully had just found a new potential addition to his gang.

The boy's face was one of absolute contempt. Ethan couldn't believe how someone he'd just met could hate him so much. He wondered if the escorting satyr had said something about Ethan to the boy. But Ted was a very obedient one. This boy must be naturally hot headed, maybe. _Ares, _Ethan thought.

"Why don't you fight me, bastard?!" The boy yelled. Andria held a hand over her mouth.

"I don't want to see you killed, that's why, asshole. I don't like it when the laundry guys die." With that, Ethan began to leave. He was not going to waste his time on this kid.

"Are you scared, Director?" A voice behind him said. He looked back to see Tyler Domino walked to the middle of the clearing, looking at Ethan innocently. "I'm sure my friend here just wants to test his skills. Besides, isn't it good that he takes an interest in fighting? He might just be the warrior we need."

"I'm not your friend." The boy said coldly.

Ethan looked at Tyler, innocent faced, but with mischief in his eyes. He saw Andria and Ray, the girl shaking her head, telling him to let it go. He saw the new four kids, staring at him with intrigue, wondering if he was a coward.

And Ethan decided.

He walked to Tyler and snatched his Celestial bronze sword. "What the-" the boy started, but stopped when Ethan threw the sword at the new boy's feet.

Ethan stared into the boy's dark eyes and smiled. "Let's finish this quickly."

The boy scowled back. He picked up the sword and held it firmly in both hands. Everyone parted to make room for him. Ethan drew out his own sword.

"I object!" Andria started. "Director, I thought you were mature! What are you _doing?" _

Ethan grinned at her. "Don't worry, I won't hurt him."

The boy stepped forward. "Because I will."

And before anyone could say something, the dance began.

The boy charged at Ethan and swung his sword in a slash at Ethan. Ethan intercepted with his blade and pushed him back. The boy did not falter a moment and attacked him again in an uppercut. The strike missed just inches from his nose. _Gotta say, you've taught him well, Ted. _

Ethan stepped backwards as he dodged the uppercut. After not a moment's rest, the boy once again raised his sword and brought it down in a clash as Ethan stopped the blow midair with his sword.

Annoyed, the boy began to force his blade down as the two swords collided. Ethan looked at the pained expression on his face and smiled. All those quick, forceful attacks in the beginning had exhausted the boy. If you played offensive and used up all your stamina in the opening attacks, you're pretty much dead if none of them hit the opponent. Ethan had been dodging and defending since the beginning. He had all the stamina he needed, though he could have won even after a bad offensive opening like the boy's. Ethan was bigger and older.

With utmost ease, he brought his sword up into the air, and the boy's sword flew into the air. The boy cried in surprise as he fell backwards. Ethan kicked his right foot, and he fell on the ground with a _thud. _

Heaving, the boy looked up at Ethan. Ethan lowered his sword to the boy's neck. "As you can see, I can defend myself all fine. I don't need "slaves" to defend myself from monsters. As for you, you can start the laundry services from tomorrow."

Deathly silence. The boy stared into his eyes. His face was covered in sweat and he was heaving. Ethan had just beaten him, and yet he still had the guts to stare at him like that. Andria looked at him disapprovingly, but Ethan did not return the gaze. The Ares kids stared at him and the boy, wondering if there would be another round.

The new kids were looking at him with fear. _See what you did, dickhead. _Ethan wanted to say to the boy. But enough was enough. At least, the boy could fight, though. That attitude would have to be controlled, though. Ethan wondered if they could somehow use that anger.

As he began to walk away, he thought that the boy said something.

"What?" He asked, looking at the boy who was just getting up.

The boy glowered at him. "Monster. You're a monster."

Ethan regarded the boy coolly. "Say, boy, what is your name?"

The boy looked at him suspiciously. "Why? Why should I tell you?"

"Just do, kid. I'm not going to kill you."

He regarded him with uncertainty. "Grey," he said finally. "Grey Williams."

Ethan walked up to him until they stood face to face. "You see, Grey," he said his voice low yet strong.

"This is real life, not some story. And in real life, the monster always _wins."_


End file.
